Video Transcript of

Reflecting Beyond the Milestone

By Sathyajit Salian

11th World Conference of the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization On the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of Sri Sathya Sai’s Descent to Earth, November 24, 2025, Sai Prema Nilayam, Riverside, California

Introduction

We have just concluded the 11th World Conference. It is worth reflecting on the first World Conference held on May 17, 1968. In His inaugural address, Swami stated:

“Even if the whole of humanity were to come together and perform penance and austerity for thousands of years, they still would not be able to comprehend My glory or understand Me.” 

To help us move closer to that understanding, it is now my honor to welcome Brother Sathyajit Salian back to the stage. We had the pleasure of hearing from him during the corporate panel and again yesterday on the occasion of Swami’s birthday.

In the interest of giving him more time to share his experiences, I will offer a brief summary of his remarkable journey. Brother Sathyajit is a distinguished alumnus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, where he was awarded a Gold Medal directly from Bhagawan’s Divine Hands.

He held the incomparable privilege of serving Bhagawan personally for 13 long years. During this decade of devotion, he received direct mentorship and guidance from Swami—a treasure of "precious gems" that he holds close to his heart. Professionally, he has led the Vidya Vahini initiative and served as the Head of Education at Tata Trusts.

Brother Sathyajit, we eagerly await the wisdom you have to share with us today. The floor is yours.

Reflecting Beyond the Milestone: The Day After 100

By Sathyajit Salian

Om Shri Sairam. I offer my most loving and prayerful salutations at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan.

It is a beautiful sight to see this auditorium today, looking much like the grin of a seven-year-old with gaps in the teeth. After five hectic days of work, it is truly peaceful to stay back, breathe, and reflect on the days gone by—to cool down from the high of the 100th-year celebrations.

I know there is a certain "withdrawal symptom" after such a high. I was looking at the various news feeds from across the world, including Puttaparthi; it seems to have been a magnificent celebration. Our celebrations were lovely everywhere across India, and I received wonderful feedback from London as well. We have now finished the 100th birthday, and after such a massive milestone, a lull often follows. Suddenly, one can feel directionless. Statistically, it is known that the number of deaths following a birthday is higher than before it—there is a sense of a goal reached, followed by a lull where the direction is unclear.

Is 100 Truly Significant?

It is at this point that we must realize 100 was not actually that big a number. We return to a thesis I proposed during the regional summit in the Poconos Mountains: Is 100 really significant in the larger scheme of things? Who is Sai? Who is this Divine Master?

How do we know He is with us always? Yesterday, I concluded my speech with an incident from Swami’s 86th birthday—the first birthday after He had left His mortal coil. I spoke about the vision I had, the dream of Swami giving me CPR and, in a way, resurrecting me from the “deathly living” of my own grief. The reason that incident and that dream had such a profound impact on me was the realization that He had meticulously curated every single experience in my life to lead me to that moment of awakening.

Connecting the Dots: The Meticulous Curation of Grace

He has curated every life, as is the case with each one of us. That curation is so meticulously done that when we sit in reflection—when we observe the breath, practicing the Sohum mantra—the mind calms down and we find the entire past connecting back. That is when you realize He has planned every single experience.

On that day in 2011, I woke up from that dream of the "resurrection" completely shaken. I told a brother who was with us, "I had a very strange dream of Swami giving me CPR. I don't know if He’s indicating I’m going to have a heart attack or if I need to become more fit." Confusion reigned immediately. But in the very next moment, my mind latched back to an incident four years earlier, around 2007 or 2008.

The Afternoon in Yajur Mandir

We had returned from Brindavan around 3:00 PM. It was sweltering hot. Swami was understandably exhausted and decided to take rest, telling me to inform the others to perform Arati without Him. I quickly made the room ready, took Swami up in the lift, and helped Him onto the bed.

Swami said, “You also take rest; you must be tired.” I laid my mattress on the floor. The air conditioning had not yet kicked in, and the room was blazing with the heat of the western sun filtering through the curtains from the Stupa side.

I fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly, I saw Mother Easwaramma standing at Swami’s feet. I could hear their conversation—she was lovingly asking Him, "Why did You come? I am alright, Swami. I see the boys are taking good care of You." The dream faded, and I opened my eyes, relishing the experience of seeing her in that same room, under that same ethereal light and intense heat.

The Divine Confirmation

I looked up at Swami’s bed. He had pulled back His blanket and was looking directly at me. He asked, “Did you see? Did you see?” I jumped out of bed and said, "Swami, I saw her!"

Swami used a specific word in Telugu: Pachcha. Not knowing Telugu well, I was confused because I saw a green blouse and a yellow sari, and I only knew Pachcha to mean green. But Swami clarified the nuance for me. In Telugu, Akupachcha refers to the green of a leaf, but Pasupu-pachcha refers to the “green” (yellow) of turmeric. By using that word, Swami was confirming the exact colors I had seen—yellow and green.

He went on to talk for a long time about how Mother Easwaramma's love continues to keep her attached to the body, and how she keeps returning to visit Him.

The Anchor of Memory

That moment in 2008 became an anchoring moment for me in 2011. When I had the vision of Swami's resurrection after He had left His physical form, I realized the connection: If Mother Easwaramma’s love for Swami could bring her back to Him, then what about Swami’s love for us?

It confirmed to me that the relationship between the Divine and the devotee is a continued one—it was not just that I had seen the right thing, but that Swami had curated that earlier experience in 2008 specifically so I would have the strength and understanding to survive 2011.

The Permanence of Bhagwan: Curating the Lived Experience

Just look at the love Swami has for us. What could possibly prevent Him from coming back to us again and again? That realization solidified for me the permanence of Bhagwan in our lives. Without that curated experience of seeing Mother Easwaramma years prior, I might have dismissed my vision of Swami's resurrection as merely a dream. But because I linked the two—because I could connect those dots in my mind—all doubts faded. It became a lived experience.

This is the vital point I want to convey: every single aspect of our lives, dear brothers and sisters, has been curated by Swami. What we need is to sit back, reflect, and connect the dots. That reflection is our true Sadhana. It is not enough to simply perform Nama Japa or Bhajans. You must take the time to calm the mind, to shut that “monkey mind” up, so that you can see how everything is connected. That Sadhana has given me a courage over the last few years that I cannot even begin to explain.

The Shift from Rama to Krishna

Who is this 100-year-old Baba of ours? For a long time, He had been nudging me toward Lord Krishna. I was originally a devotee of Lord Rama. Before I came to Swami, I had only heard stories of Krishna as a complex politician. I couldn't understand Him; the straightforwardness of Rama—straight like an arrow—was my ideal.

In Kodaikanal, Swami once asked me, “Rama or Krishna—who do you like more?” I told Him, “Rama, Swami.” He asked, “Don't you like Krishna?” I replied, “Krishna also, but Rama is better.” He then asked about “Bala Krishna”—the tiny, innocent Krishna. Everyone loves the cute, crawling Balakrishna. When I agreed, He materialized a tiny silver idol of the crawling Krishna and gave it to me. He was slowly expanding my heart to understand the many facets of the Divine.

The Night the Yugas Collapsed: The Death of Ravana

The full impact of Bhagwan as a perennial presence came to me one night. I narrate this today, following the 100th birthday, to drive home the point that the number “100” is insignificant to Sai. He is a continual presence.

During my 13 years of service, dates often merge, but this memory is etched in light. It was during Swami’s 82nd or 83rd year. His physical body was weakening; He needed support even to sit up. Around 2:00 AM, I woke to the sound of Him tossing and turning. I was terrified. I got up from my mattress on the floor and slowly touched Him.

The moment I touched Him, He cried out, “Remove it! Take it out! It’s all blood! It's covered in blood—Ratum!” I said, “Swami, nothing happened. There is no blood.” He insisted, “Ratum! Ratum! It is all blood! Lift Me up!” I helped Him into the wheelchair. He then said, “I have just now killed him. I have just now killed him. All the blood has fallen on Swami.” (He never used the word “I” or “Me”; He always said Swami-pena—upon Swami). He insisted the bed was filled with blood and demanded it be changed.

He then said He wanted to bathe. After He freshened up—performing what felt like a fresh Abhishekam—He changed His clothes and sat in the wheelchair, watching me. I had to single-handedly push and pull that massive bed, turning the mattress over and replacing every sheet and blanket while covered in sweat.

An Eyewitness to Eternity

By 4:00 AM, Swami was beautiful and calm. He made me sit at His feet, and for nearly an hour, He spoke about the death of Ravana. It was a first-person account.

He spoke of what a great Gyani (knower of wisdom) Ravana was—a Brahmin who possessed all 64 types of knowledge, whereas Rama was known for 16. He narrated how He had sent Lakshmana to the feet of the dying Ravana to learn the secrets of statesmanship. It was so intense, so immediate.

Until that night, the “eternity” of Swami was a theoretical concept. We keep words like “Omnipotent” and “Omniscient” in our intellect, turning them over like coins. But that incident established the truth in my heart. It proved that the frail, elderly body I served was merely a veil for the Eternal One who exists outside of time.

The Challenge of Grooming: Protection and Credibility

In the vast timeline of the Divine, 100 years is a small number. Yet, in our human lives, our constant Sadhana is required to understand this eternity. Many of us wonder, “Where was I in a previous life? Was I a monkey in Rama’s army? A Gopi in Vrindavan?” I had these same questions.

I take you back to 1996, when I was an MBA student. Swami was beginning to “groom” me. As Aravind beautifully explained, being picked from a hostel of hundreds of boys is a challenge. Swami has the difficult task of balancing His grace while protecting the chosen student from the envy or “evil eye” of others until that student’s credibility and Samskara (character refining) are established.

One morning, Swami told the warden He would take me to Brindavan for a day. To protect me from the gaze of the other boys, He told me, “Go stand on the road near the Super Speciality Hospital. I will stop the car and pick you up there.” It was a winter morning at 7:00 AM, and my heart was racing with excitement. Swami’s car pulled up, I slipped inside, and we drove to Brindavan.

Inside the Inner Sanctum: The Master of Detail

In Brindavan, for the first time, Swami took me into His bedroom and showed me around. He opened His cupboards, which were filled not with His own belongings, but with gifts for devotees.

• Cupboard One: Filled with silk and cotton dhotis.

• Cupboard Two: Filled with various suit lengths and fabrics.

• Cupboard Three: Dazzling with Banarasi saris, meticulously folded.

I eventually became an expert in folding these saris! Swami was a master of detail; He would ask for the “peacock border” or the “Mysore silk,” matching the color of the sari to the complexion of the devotee He intended to bless. He would say, “She is fair-skinned; we should bring a darker sari.”

Then He showed me His own small cupboard. He showed me His hairbrush and His unique way of brushing—lifting the hair, pulling it down to cover His ears, then twinkling His eyes and asking, “Is it good?” He even showed me His toothbrush, which had bristles as soft as hair. He wanted to share everything.

The Agony of “Late Arrival”

Watching Him in such an intimate setting, a realization hit me like a physical blow. I cried out, “Swami, why did I come so late? Where was I all these years?”

Swami looked at me and said, “Swami Anugraha, Anubhava, Ananda.” He told me that the time I arrived was exactly the right time. He told me to experience His grace (Anugraha), enjoy the experience (Anubhava), and derive bliss (Ananda).

Even great men like Mr. Ratan Tata felt this. While preparing for the launch of Vidya Vahini, Mr. Tata watched a video of Swami’s 85th birthday discourse and remarked with deep agony, “I have come so late to Baba.” Swami promised me then, “I will show you. Like a screen, I will show you where you were.”

The Screen of the Past: A Vision of Shirdi

A year later in Kodaikanal, that promise was fulfilled. It was midnight, and I was lying on the floor while Swami slept. In a vivid dream, I saw Shirdi Baba. He was seated in a room, and He had taken off His juba (robe).

From my point of view—which was from behind a curtain—I could see that Shirdi Baba’s entire back was covered in painful blisters. A devotee was dipping a cloth into water mixed with a disinfectant (like Dettol) and gently wiping His back.

In the dream, I realized with a shock that I was a woman. I was standing behind the curtain, heart-stricken with agony, thinking, “Swami, just because I am a woman, I am not permitted to serve You? Why are You so partial to the men? I want to serve You!” That intense pining to serve, restricted by the social customs of that time, was the core of my being in that past life.

The Lingering Fragrance of the Past

The dream ended, and I opened my eyes. Even in the physical room, the smell of disinfectant was so overpowering that I was convinced a bottle must have broken. The next morning, I asked the gentleman in charge if anything had spilled, thinking perhaps my mind had simply woven a dream around a physical scent. But there was nothing—no spill, no antiseptic.

As I woke in that cold Kodaikanal night, I looked toward Swami’s bed. His small hand emerged from the blanket, gave a quick wave of acknowledgment, and slipped back inside. These endearing images are etched in my soul. At that time, in 1997, I was still a student undergoing the “intense grilling process.” Swami often used the threat of sending a student away to test their resilience—it hung over our heads like the Sword of Damocles.

From Fear to Divine Love (Deva Preeti)

One evening in Kodaikanal, my duty was to eat quickly while Swami had dinner downstairs, then rush up to His room before the other boys arrived. Swami wanted to protect me from the scrutiny and envy of the group. That night, however, I heard the boys talking in the hallway—an immediate sign that Swami had already come upstairs. I had missed my window.

I slinked into the room, heart sinking. Swami looked at me and used a very “colorful” Telugu word for ego—Kobu. He told me, “You have too much ego! I will throw you out. Tomorrow, I am booking your tickets to send you away.” I was in tears, pleading for His mercy. Yet, somehow, a strange courage rose within me. The next day, I told Him, “Swami, yesterday when You were shouting at me, I wasn't actually afraid.” Swami chuckled and said, “Is that so? But you cried so well!”

In that moment, my relationship with the Divine transformed. It shifted from Bhaya Preeti (love based on fear) to Daiva Preeti (pure, divine love). Usually, we fear God because we project our own internal negativity and secrets onto Him. We fear the “judge” instead of loving the “source.” That day, the barrier of fear vanished, replaced by an intimacy that defied explanation.

The Final Clarity: Why I Came Late

Even after the Shirdi vision, the question of why I “arrived late” to this Avatar remained only partially answered. This is something I have never shared in any public address over the last fifteen years. I share it now only because, during the last few months of deeper meditation and silence, the final pieces of the puzzle have finally settled into place.

Through this internal journey, I realized that “time” is a human construct that doesn't apply to the Master. Whether we are with Him in the 1940s, the 1990s, or the 100th year, we are exactly where His curation intended us to be.

Gurugram: The Village of the Guru

Over the last three years, my Sadhana has deepened significantly, moving from Karma Marga (the path of action) to the depths of Jnana Marga (the path of wisdom). I have found immense joy in the simple act of watching the sunrise and observing my breath. By Swami’s grace, I live in a house in Gurgaon—a place often noted for its pollution—but for me, it has become my Prasanthi Nilayam.

Gurgaon is actually Gurugram, the village of the Guru. This was the land given to Dronacharya by Dhritarashtra and Bhishma; it was the training ground for both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Living there evokes deep memories of the past, connecting me back to a revelation Swami made years ago.

Satyaki: The Shadow of Krishna

In 1998, Swami was seated with a few of my classmates in Brindavan. Though He hadn’t told me directly yet, He revealed to them: “Do you know who this boy was? He was Satyaki.” Satyaki was a mighty warrior of the Vrishni clan and a kinsman of Lord Krishna. Swami described him as being like a “shadow” to Krishna. He established a profound context that I didn't fully grasp at the time. He said that after the Kurukshetra war, when Yudhisthira was crowned and Arjuna remained in Hastinapur to fulfill his duties as Commander-in-Chief, it was Satyaki who stayed by Krishna’s side for the next 36 years.

Swami was teaching me that my service was not just a 13-year duty in this lifetime; it was the continuation of a 5,000-year-old relationship.

The Obsession with Liberation

As a young man, my mind immediately went to a place of worry. I thought, “If I was with Krishna 5,000 years ago, why am I still here? What did I do wrong? What sin did I commit that I have not yet attained liberation?” This became an obsession. I scoured the Mahabharata by Kamala Subramaniam, searching for every mention of Satyaki. I read about the tragic end of the Yadu dynasty—how the clan turned on itself and was destroyed. I read that Satyaki was the one who struck the first blow in that final conflict. I feared that this act of violence was the reason I was still bound to the cycle of birth and death.

I pestered Swami with these questions for days. Finally, seeing my obsession, He gave me a definitive answer that brought me immense peace: “Do you think anybody who was constantly with Him would perform any action without Krishna's direct approval?”

The Internal Kurukshetra

That one sentence changed everything. It helped me realize that life is a Divine Drama. Whether it was Rama’s battle in Lanka, the bloodshed of Kurukshetra, or the cleansing of the Yadava clan, it was all orchestrated by the Divine for that specific age.

Swami once explained the evolution of the “enemy” across the Yugas:

1.    In the Ramayana: The enemy was in a different country (Lanka).

2.    In the Mahabharata: The enemy was within the same family (Kauravas and Pandavas).

3.    In the Sathya Sai Avatar: The enemy is inside of you.

The battle we fight today is against the six cardinal sins (Arishadvargas). There is no external cleansing left to do; the cleansing must be entirely internal. The “resurrection” and the “CPR” Swami gave me in my dream were not for the body, but to revive the spirit so it can win this internal war.

This is the beauty of our journey into the next 100 years. We are not just celebrating a century of a physical form; we are celebrating a perennial presence that has guided us through the Yugas and continues to guide us through our internal Kurukshetra today.

The Call to Awake: “Le Satyaki!”

For years, I had closed the chapter on my past-life connection as Satyaki. However, four years ago, as I prepared to move my family to Bangkok to start a new school, a sudden experience reopened that door.

On the eve of my flight to Himachal Pradesh, during a power outage, I stayed at a hotel near the airport. As I fitfully dozed off, a voice—loud and unmistakable—shouted into my left ear: “Le Satyaki! Le Satyaki! Le!” (Arise, Satyaki! Wake up!).

It was Swami’s voice, commanding me to awake. This was not just a call to wake from sleep; it was a call to wake from the “nonsense” of worldly attachments and the limited identity I had settled into.

The Nature of Divine Vision

Younger brothers often ask about the difference between the mind’s imagination and a divine vision or the Atma. I have realized that the mind builds images line by line, like an artist embellishing a canvas. But a vision comes as a complete reality. It isn't just an image; it is a memory. It carries the smell, the sensation, the feeling, and the absolute certainty of a lived experience.

The visions I began to receive were not of Krishna as the teacher or the flute-player we read about in books. They were first-person experiences of Krishna the Warrior. I saw us wrestling and practicing sword-fighting.

One image remains established above all: sitting on a hill just after sunset. Krishna is lying with His head on my lap, and we are both laughing uncontrollably. In the distance, we can see the lanterns of Jarasandha’s massive army. Jarasandha had attacked Mathura 17 times, and Krishna, the "Ranchod" (the one who leaves the battlefield), would lead him on a chase through guerrilla warfare. We were laughing at the Ajnana (ignorance) of a king who thought he could capture the Infinite with a physical army.

Breaking the “Body-Consciousness”

Why did Swami reactivate this “Satyaki element” in my mind? It was to give me freedom.

We are often trapped in a persistent delusion that we are only this body—born 20, 50, or 70 years ago. We think our reality is bound by our current name, our current history, and our current geography. But Swami has consistently told us: We are perennial, eternal beings. We are not bound by time, place, or history.

What stops you from tapping into this universal consciousness? It is the persistence of the mind. The mind keeps whispering, “You are only Satyajit,” or “You are only Aravind.” It insists that this limited experience is the only reality.

From 100 Years to Infinity

This is the true meaning of the 100th Birthday. The logo itself features the infinity symbol, reminding us that Swami is not bound by a century, and neither are we. He came to give us our freedom—the realization that we are part of the “Sai Infinity.”

I urge you all, as I did once before in the Poconos, to go back to Swami’s discourse from May 31, 1991. Listen to it. Read it. It contains the key to moving from the limited “I” to the infinite “We.”

The Source of Creation: Hiranyagarbha

I urge you to listen to Swami’s discourse from May 31, 1991, with great focus. In that summer course, Swami materialized the Hiranyagarbha—the Golden Egg, the source of all creation. He stated clearly, “I am the source of the Big Bang; I am the source of all that is.” This is the Master we serve. We must not, and cannot, limit Him to a mere 100 years. (Link to this discourse: The Three Forms Of God - Viraat, Hiranyagarbha And Avyaakruta | Sri Sathya Sai Speaks )

Yesterday, I spent time with the young adults until 10:00 PM. They were grilling me with a million questions. A persistent theme was a lack of confidence—the feeling that they lacked the courage or ability to face life's challenges. I told them: All infinite abilities are already within your grasp. It is only the mind that sets limits. The mind says, “I am only this graduate,” or “I have only this qualification.” The mind sets limits because it can only understand limits. The Unlimited can never be understood by the mind; the mind must simply be calmed.

The Sadhana of the Sun

For me, the greatest tool has been the Sohum mantra and morning breathing exercises. Even here in California, watching the sunrise behind the trees from my hotel room brings that same sense of bliss.

The “lull” after the 100th birthday—the “gap in the teeth” of the empty hall—can only be filled by the bliss of eternity. If we don't tap into that, we will constantly ask, “What now? What next?” but when you realize you are standing in an eternal green field of possibility, you can create from your own Divine source.

The Journey Inward: Beyond the Five Elements

In that 1991 discourse, which I have listened to at least a hundred times, Swami explains our evolutionary path:

1.    Vayaja Suta: We start by thinking we are just this physical entity made of five elements.

2.    Prana: We must go beyond flesh and blood to realize we are the Pranic (life) force.

3.    Sakshi Bhutam: Finally, we release the Pranic force to become the Eternal Witness.

This realization doesn't come from a textbook; it comes from our Sadhana. It comes from the regulation of the breath and the peace of Omkaram.

A Memory of Suprabhatam

I remember the morning after the “Ravana incident” I shared earlier. Swami had finished explaining the story to me at 5:00 AM and finally went to rest. I asked for His permission to go to the Mandir for Suprabhatam (the morning awakening hymn).

Sitting there in the Mandir, listening to the slow, peaceful chanting that could almost lull one to sleep, I felt a beauty that I can never forget. It wasn't just a song; it was the regulation of the soul's breath.

The Euphoria of Infinity

Dear brothers and sisters, the euphoria of the 100th year can be increased manifold if we merge it into the euphoria of Infinity. That is the message I want us all to reflect upon today. We are not moving away from Swami; we are moving deeper into the eternal reality of who He is—and who we are.

Om Shri Sairam.

Source: Birthday Celebrations - 24th Morning BONUS session

Note on this Transcript

This marks the completion of the address by Sathyajit Salian given on November 24, 2025. This record has been refined for clarity, grammar, and emotional resonance to serve as a lasting tribute for the 100th Anniversary celebrations.

Sathyajit Salian